Wings of Time
by OceanFlame
Summary: The winds of change are blowing in Hyrule. Now, Link must rise to the occasion and ride the currents, or plummet to his doom. Less cryptic summary as later chapters are posted.
1. Luck Runs Out

Author's Note: Long time no write, I'm afraid. It's been a while since inspiration has hit me, but after some recent personal problems that I won't bore you all with, the urge to write has hit me again. I'm not sure what's going to happen with my other stories at this point, but for the moment I don't have plans to continue them until I finish Wings of Time. Here's to hoping my writing's improved over the span of time I've been gone.

Disclaimer: You all know the drill, I'm poor and live in a box with no hope of ever owning this game or its characters. Well, minus anything I dream up on my own. Those characters I will smack people for if they take. Brandishes smacking implement

Wings of Time

The Beginning of the End

/Begin/

_Bitch._

The Hero of Time was not in a pleasant mood. About an hour after sunset, he found himself locked out from Castle Town. Not that he felt in the mood to return at the moment. Better to wait until morning anyway.

_Maybe then you'll miss me, princess._

A lovers' quarrel, he reassured himself, but a final straw in a series that Zelda had been initiating lately. You'd think she could cut the guy who saved her kingdom some slack, but that was years ago. Few people in this timeline even knew the full extent of his toils, just the vague yet glorious sounding tale Zelda had chosen to tell the public. Only the Sages and the Royal Family knew the terrible and complete truth.

In a way, Link preferred relative anonymity. It suited him. Granted, he was still known in Hyrule. How could the beloved of the princess not be?

_That's all anyone ever sees me as now. It's not like I'm nothing without her…_

Or was he? By Zelda's side, he was a valued tactician and warrior, her chief military advisor. Link had protected not only her life on numerous occasions, but ensured her father's safety as well. Hardened assassins didn't dare set foot near the castle after hearing some of the whispered accounts of what Zelda's protector did to those who threatened her well-being.

But what was he on his own? Without a cushy palace position, Link the Hero would probably just be another cutthroat mercenary. Food had to come from somewhere, although perhaps Malon would take pity on him and give him a job at the ranch. Far better than the alternative of roaming for the rest of his days. Traveling was fine in itself; there were times like now that Link had to be alone for the sake of his sanity. Yet home was always in reach, waiting for him to return from his wanderings.

_Home…where the heart is. Zelda has always been my home, but how can someone so wise be so blind?_

There was no conceivable way she didn't know exactly how he felt about her. He would give his life to be with her, to keep her from harm. He very nearly had on more than one occasion. For whatever reason though, she was still prone to fits of paranoia, or something very close to it, Link wasn't entirely sure.

"_Why should I believe you when you say that you love me? Where's the warmth, Link? You can say the words all you want, but it doesn't mean anything unless you feel them. How you manage to feel distant from me even when you hold me I can't even fathom."_

Cringing at the memory from just a few minutes ago, Link trudged on through Hyrule Field. Unwillingly, the rest of the argument played through his mind.

"_I'm too distant, Zel? That's a pile, and you damn well know it. I've had enough of this, enough of you trying to make me feel guilty about something that's not even true. I'm sick of you inventing problems all the time. You think I'm too distant from you? Well, I'm about to get a little further away."_

_Taking a step back from the confused princess, Link cast a familiar spell, wreathing him in green light, and sweeping him onto the wind. His last impressions of the room consisted of the fire crackling gently while his love sobbed a broken and incoherent apology. _

Link had quickly found himself in front of the castle gates, effectively cut off from his home. There were no longer Stalchildren to protect the town from, but bandits had been roaming around more frequently of late. He'd been meaning to do something about that.

Instantly he'd cursed himself for his stupidity. In his anger, Link had left completely unarmed. Hopefully the walk to Lon Lon Ranch would be a quiet one. His warp had drained him of his magical reserves, at this point he couldn't rely on any spells if something were to attack him.

_At least there's always my fists. I'm not utterly useless without a sword._

For some reason though, he couldn't shake his feeling of uneasiness. Seeing a cluster of bushes along the road, he began kicking through them in search of a discarded container of magic some traveler might have dropped carelessly. There didn't seem to be any luck for the hero tonight, as his efforts only found a handful of rupees.

No matter, the ranch wasn't too far now. He'd spend the night there, staying up late and laughing with Malon. She never judged her favorite Fairy Boy, as much as that name was beginning to irk Link. At nineteen he hardly considered himself a boy anymore. Hell, he hadn't been a boy since the Great Deku Tree died. Besides, he never had found Navi.

_Good riddance. _

Suddenly the peace of the evening was disrupted by the sound of horses. They seemed to be coming toward him, and quickly. Link kept walking, there was no point in standing like an idiot in the middle of the path if it happened to be nothing. It was probably just a merchant coming home to Kakariko after a long day of trading with the Gerudo.

He knew that was a lie. It didn't reassure him for a moment. There were too many hoof beats, coming far too fast. Trouble was coming, but standing in the way unarmed wouldn't help him. Unfortunately, there wasn't a decent place to hide in sight.

Moments later, the thundering party came into view. As soon as the ten or twelve riders had topped the crest of the hill, the leader pulled up short. Immediately the others followed suit, waiting obediently. Link eyed them cautiously out of the corner of his eye, doubtless of what these people were.

Bandits.

Their very manner and dress betrayed them, no decent person would be willing to talk to them during the daylight hours. One thing he could say for them, there certainly was a variety. It was difficult to tell their rate of success, as some were clothed well enough, while others were practically garbed in patches and rags. Their leader was one of the former sort, sturdy red clothes that no doubt hid light armor underneath. He seemed to be searching, his gaze roaming across the open territory. Finally, his eyes came to rest of Link, who was still busy with the pretense of trudging along, minding his own business.

Motioning to the rest of the band, a sneer appeared on the thief's face as he reached behind him to retrieve his crossbow. His mood seemed to spread to his subordinates, with grins and snickering spreading throughout them as each spurred their mount into action. Like a wave they came flowing down the hill, shouting in their anticipation.

Link had always possessed a profound distaste for bandits, and he found it multiplying by the instant. Glancing around, the warrior quickly sized up his options. There was no possible chance of outrunning galloping horses the distance that still remained between him and the ranch. Then again, it wouldn't do much good to allow himself to be surrounded at this point. He'd given up on the hope that he was simply in their way. At this point, he was being hunted.

With a final thought, Link dashed. Not toward Lon Lon, better to keep Malon and Talon out of the path of danger. Quickly sprinting, the hero made a dodging path between the sparse patches of bushes, desperately hoping to discover some magic. Din's Fire, Nayru's Love, Farore's Wind, at this point it didn't matter. He might be the Hero of Time, but he brooked no misgivings that his title could vanquish a dozen riders armed to the teeth while he didn't have so much as a Deku nut on him.

Racing through the night, Link refused to look back. He could hear the horses and their hollering owners gaining ground on him. Still no luck, the plant life was not being kind to him tonight. He refused to look behind him. It would only slow him down. Just a fraction, but it would still be enough for them to catch him that much sooner.

Determination to survive coursed through the young man. He wasn't done yet, there was still a chance, albeit an increasingly slim one.

_Goddesses, save me._

Success! At last he'd stumbled across a small vial of the green liquid, crushing it in his flight, but soaking up enough to do what he needed to accomplish. The trick would be casting it before they caught up to him and….

Surrounded him. In his moment of victory he'd failed to notice that he'd been outrun. Silently cursing himself, Link all the same hurriedly began his incantation. His movements did not go unnoticed, however, as several of the bandits fluidly dropped from their mounts and quickly restrained him before he had a chance to resist.

Then began the pummeling. Fists began raining on the hero from what felt like every conceivable direction while he was held down despite his best efforts.

_Who are these people? These are no ordinary bandits._

Thoughts came more slowly now, muddy and hazy through the pain. After an eternity, he heard a deep voice succinctly order the men to cease. Backing away, the bandits reverently made a path for their leader.

Now that he was closer, Link could see the man slowly striding toward him a bit better. Only a bit though, through the veil of blood that was currently coating his face, his eyes nearly shut from the swelling that had already begun.

Before, the most distinguishing feature he could make out was the heavy red coat the bandit leader wore. Now, Link found himself with the opportunity to get a better look at the man's face, a chance he would have traded for a vacation to Dodongo's Cavern on any day. The man's greasy black hair streamed to below his shoulders, revealing a cruel face that had seen more than a few scars. His hooked nose appeared to have been in need to setting at more than one point in his life. That sneer was what struck Link the most, though. There was no word for it besides sinister.

"The great Hero of Time, I presume," the bandit spoke after surveying his prize for a few moments. His voice carried bemusement and disdain, as though he were thoroughly unimpressed with the legend.

Link managed only a snarl for a response.

"You, my lad, are in the way of things to come. Therefore it's fallen to me to dispose of you. I must say, though, I'm sorely disappointed in you. After hearing tales of your swordsmanship I'd been rather hoping to test my own mettle against you," he laughed briefly, "It seems that the rumors about you going soft are true, sadly enough. A shame."

Once again, he pulled out the crossbow Link had seen before. This time, leveling it at Link's heart.

"Tell me, Link, what does it feel like to know that you will now die?" he asked, in a conversational tone that might have just asked if the swordsman wanted something to drink.

"Moreover," he continued, "how does it feel to know that your precious princess will now be without her prized bodyguard? I would hate for a single hair on her head to be harmed, but I have employers who think most differently."

A wave of panic spread through Link, and he struggled against the bandits holding his limbs. It was a weak effort though, running and the beating had left him with little energy, even with the onset of more fear.

_Zelda…no…_

His tormentor's smile grew at Link's pathetic efforts, evidently enjoying the mental torture he was subjecting his victim to. "With that knowledge then," he stated levelly, taking aim with his weapon-

_I can't believe I'm going to die. Not like this…_

"Despair and die."

_Zelda, forgive me!_

Pain coursed through him, and the world went dark before the Hero of Time could scream his dying breath.

_I love you…_

/End/

Now, before you all go berserk and start sending me flames that are something akin to "ZOMG CHARACTER DEATH! I R SCARRED FOR LIFE!1" May I gently remind you that this is in no way a one shot, and this event was quite necessary for the plot. The rest, I leave you to wonder about. Wonder about and review.


	2. Rebirth

Author's Note: Reviews are always appreciated, keep 'em coming people! What can I say, I'm a feedback whore. Anyway, this chapter should help assuage some fears, if there are any, about Link being left out. Fair amount of plot development here, not as much as the next chappie will have though! That being said, read on!

Wings of Time

Rebirth

/Begin/

In the darkness all was quiet. No noise, no pain, no thought. Floating in an eternity of blackness. Peace.

For brief moments, he felt restless, as though something remained undone that required his attention. Or maybe those feelings lasted millennia, there was no way of knowing. Then again, it didn't matter. Only rest was of importance. His soul was…tired. Weary after running the gambit life had thrust upon him. Now the inky darkness surrounded him, permeated him; comforting and soothing the soul into the afterlife. It felt like a favorite blanket; warm and inviting.

Still, the feeling of restlessness came upon him. It didn't matter how frequently, for there was only now. Now the urge tugged him, and it was gaining strength.

"Awaken, Hero."

_No! Not yet…_

Slowly, he felt his senses returning. A feeling of calm still enveloped him, his perceptions slightly hazy as though waking from a dream. His eyes began to focus on the light in front of him.

Three figures stood before him, robed in flickering energy that danced like fire. Blue, green, and red; all three of the Triforce goddesses stood present and accounted for.

"Won't you three ever let me give me a break?" Link sighed, "I've played your little game, aren't I supposed to get eternal rest now or something?"

"Link, Hyrule still needs you," Nayru soothed, quiet and gentle like the darkness they were floating in.

"Your princess is in danger," Din reminded almost impatiently.

"Can't you find someone else to do your dirty work? Excuse me if I don't feel too inclined to jump back into the mortal plane, but I sort of just got killed. I'd like some downtime if you don't mind. Put someone else through the hell I endured."

"And Zelda?" Farore asked, her eyebrows quirked, if that was possible for a goddess with no definable face.

"Zelda's tough," he faltered, "You made her that way. She can handle whatever little bandit issue is going on."

"Do you honestly think we'd resurrect you for the sake of some upstart bandits?" Din snorted, "I thought you knew us better than that, Hero."

Blue and green shot twin reproachful looks at their sister, who merely shrugged at her own bluntness.

"Whatever it is you may choose to believe about yourself, the point is we still need that little soul of yours. Not to inflate your ego more than it already has been, but souls like yours don't come around too often. Besides, no one else would have the personal motivation for this task."

"You make it sound like the world's going to end."

"In a way, it has for Zelda," Nayru interjected, sympathy evident in her voice. Sweeping her arm to the side, she revealed an image of the blond sage weeping in her private chambers, clutching one of Link's old green tunics. Her face was hidden by the clothing, but even from the afterlife Link could feel the waves of pain washing off of her.

"_Goddesses forgive me, it's all my fault! I'll do anything to see him again, just let me say I'm sorry!" _the image of the princess sobbed. Link wasn't as heartless as she thought; a sharp pain filled his chest at the sight of her weeping over him.

"You want me to end her pain?" he asked numbly. Maybe a brief apparition to his love wouldn't be so bad, just to say goodbye…

"She's perfectly capable of doing that herself," Farore answered soberly.

"What the hell are you tal-" he began, but was cut off when the vision began to move, and move with a purpose. Placing the tunic down on the bed like it would shatter at any moment if mishandled, Zelda then methodically took off her gloves. Through her silent tears she walked to her desk, pulling out a small dagger from a drawer. Link's heart nearly leaped out of his throat.

"Stop her!" he pleaded.

Din closed her eyes momentarily, her face grave at what her sister was showing the mortal. She hated suicides.

"_Your highness, you have to try to eat,"_ a voice Link recognized as Impa's said, slowly pushing the door opening. Once she found where the princess was standing in the room, the tray of food she had been carrying instantly crashed to the floor, and the royal attendant crossed the room in a flash.

Zelda never had a chance, in mere seconds she was disarmed. It didn't take long for her to cease her struggling and resume her pained crying. Impa simply held her for a time, and then when the girl seemed to have calmed down and regained her senses, she held the princess out at arms length and slapped her.

"_Don't you ever dare to be so stupid. Hyrule needs you to lead, Zelda. Link or no Link, you have an obligation to those people. Don't make them lose both of their national symbols in such a short time. We need you alive, you're not the only one who misses him."_

"_But they aren't the ones that killed him,"_ the blond hiccupped.

"_Neither are you, foolish girl. Are you the one who shot the bolt into his chest? Did someone forget to inform me of when you became a bandit?" _Impa shot back.

"_But he-"_

"_What's done is done, princess. We can't change the fact that Link's gone, so the best we can hope for is to survive without him. Right now I need you to survive."_

The portal faded from view before Link could hear Zelda's response.

"Hyrule needs her, and she needs you. No one ever said your task was over Link, but if you perform this service satisfactorily for us you may decide your fate as a reward," Nayru said levelly.

Frozen blue eyes shut in a moment of contemplation. In reality, there was nothing to decide. Zelda needed him, and like always he would come dashing in with a sword ready to save her from evil. At least it would be a chance to say his farewells.

Link's piercing eyes snapped open as he studied the waiting goddesses. Purpose filled those eyes now, a longing to set things right.

"Tell me what needs to be done."

And the goddesses smiled.

/End/

Hope you enjoyed, next chapter should be posted quite soon as I'm on break at the moment. Be glad for my lack of a life :P


	3. Soul in Transit

Sorry this took so long, it seems I had less time on my hands than I thought. Now that finals are done with and I've had some time to map some chapters out, I should hopefully be updating a bit more quickly. Enjoy.

Wings of Time

Soul in Transit

/begin/

Time and space seemed to have about as much relevance here as they did in the darkness. Now, however, there was movement as the Hero of Time found himself hurtling through endless light, on the journey to being reborn. Well, not precisely reborn, but returning to the mortal plane all the same.

So far, the trip was enjoyable. Arms spread wide, Link felt like he was flying, soaring at unimaginable speeds. Whether or not he actually possessed arms at this particular moment wasn't something he felt like considering. Ignorance was bliss, after all.

As exhilarating as the experience was, he couldn't but help feel wary about the situation waiting for him when he arrived at the castle. The goddesses had been their usual cryptic selves, something which never reassured the swordsman. They'd told him precious little about what he was supposed to be doing. Nayru almost let some things slip at a few points, but unfortunately Din had quickly silenced her. Damnable fire goddess always did have an impish streak; she loved to see him sweat. Or so Link thought, what did a mere mortal know anyway.

_So mere that they have to keep reincarnating me in order to keep their noses clean._

Link quickly suppressed the rebellious thought, after all, he was going back and that was all that mattered now. Better to be surprised than the goddesses to change their minds. Maybe.

From what he had gleaned, there were a few core facts for him to formulate a plan around. It had shocked Link to learn that he'd been dead for roughly seven months; time had no meaning to the dead. Evidently though, in the short time he'd been deceased the neighboring kingdoms had wasted little time in pressuring Princess Zelda. Most often for an alliance resulting from marriage. So far none had many any overt threats, but some were bolder than others. One such group had gone so far as to move into Hyrule Castle, taking advantage of the royal family's mourning to establish some slight command. Link wasn't sure these actions evoked a divine intervention, but all the same he knew he didn't like it.

He'd also been reassured that the Triforce of Courage would be waiting for him in a safe location upon his return. The piece couldn't leave Hyrule, on the technicality that the blessings it bestowed on the land would be withdrawn. Therefore Link had been forced to part ways with it when that bolt hit him in the chest. However, the goddesses decided to hide it for safe keeping when the hero returned. It was necessary that he find it as soon as possible, Farore had cautioned that Zelda might not recognize him without it. If he possessed it though, she would be able to communicate with him through their bond as holders of the Triforce.

This was the part that worried Link.

His soul raced on in the silence around him as he pondered the implications of that warning. He'd been told that in the interest of haste he wouldn't be literally reborn, as growing up required more time than they had the luxury of in this situation. Rather, his spirit would be placed into a vessel the goddesses had prepared for him. Why would he need the Triforce to talk to Zelda, though?

Link had originally assumed that he would be reincarnated into his old body, but this twist seemed to imply he wouldn't be. That much was understandable; he couldn't exactly be inconspicuous as a hero from beyond the grave. It also gave some insight, (although very little,) as to what he was expected to do. If all the goddesses wanted was for him to chop something's head off, there wouldn't be much need for secrecy. The prospect of the unknown made the hero grimace. After all, stabbing things with a sword until they stopped moving was his forte, not…well, he wasn't sure what precisely he was expected to accomplish.

"_Keep Zelda and Hyrule safe," _had been the command. Much more open ended than Link preferred. Then again, had his orders ever been too different? Go see the Great Deku Tree, meet with the princess, collect the jewels, awaken the sages, kill Ganondorf. Don't die. His entire life, he'd been told the end results it was his duty to obtain. For the most part, Link had to figure out the means to those ends on his own.

_One last dungeon to navigate._

Only problem being that this dungeon would be his own home. In all likelihood he'd need that bond with Zelda simply to gain access to the castle. He'd made sure to step up security during his lifetime so that no more ten-year-old boys could sneak in anymore. A private audience with the princess and her father would be no easy task for an ordinary person with no history to his name. Oh, Zelda listened to the complaints of suppliants enough, or at least she used to, but how would he explain his mission in a room full of people? Besides, poor Zel would probably think it a cruel joke that someone would say such a thing to her, and he'd most likely be tossed into the jail for dishonoring Link the Hero's memory.

Suddenly that Triforce bond was sounding better and better. However, finding it would be no easy task. Going by the locations and traps of the Sages' Temples, when the goddesses said "a secure location," they _meant_ secure. He wasn't even sure that he wanted to know what obstacle course from hell the three had cooked up this time to "test his worthiness."

"Haven't you ever been told not to bite the hand that feeds you?"

Link whirled around in search of the impish voice, to the best of his ability at any rate, but was met only with the echoes of giggles wherever he twisted. As foolish as he knew the sudden urge was, he desperately began to wish for a weapon.

"What, did I upset you?" the voice taunted, and suddenly a whorl of light sparkled in front of the hero, who had at some point become stationary without his noticing. This display continued for a brief moment until it ended in a bright flash that somehow blinded Link despite the luminescent sea surrounding him. Lowering the arm he had instinctively raised to protect his face and eyes, he grimaced slightly and rolled his eyes.

Before him, floating at eye level, was a fairy. Usual size, but Link had to frown briefly at the coloring. He'd never seen a black fairy before; generally they were more…colorful. Come to think of it, he'd never seen one with a definable body before either. Generally the light those tiny pixies emitted was so bright it left anyone looking at them with only an image of a round ball of fuzzy light with wings. Link had heard in his travels that some believed fairies had an extremely close spiritual relationship with the goddesses, and so therefore their auras were so intense that anyone could plainly see them. Navi had never confirmed or denied this, so he wasn't sure.

Snapping out of his internal thought patterns, Link suddenly realized that he'd been staring. Oddly enough, the fairy didn't flit about investigating him from every angle as well, she merely observed him. The fairy was decidedly female. Even her posture named her feminine, from her crossed legs with one foot tapping in the air to her arms folded below her…

_Maintain eye contact!_

"You know, if there was a floor here your jaw would probably be on it," she quipped, her amusement evidently beginning to fade.

"Erm, sorry," Link tried, "And you would be?"

"Not as big of a freak as you seem to think I am," she returned. This was going to be aggravating.

"If you must know, and I suppose you must since we'll be working together-" somehow she managed to ignore Link's sudden attack of sputtering and continued, "The name's Cove. Don't you worry about my aura, it's perfectly fine. It's just a bit too bright here for it to show up. And don't even think about asking why I'm this color either.'

_Touchy. _

"I heard that."

/end/

What obstacles will Link soon face upon rebirth? Why has this fairy suddenly appeared, and what are her motives? Guess you'll just have to guess.


End file.
